Do you sometimes wonder why a recruiter doesn't return your calls or emails? Imagine being overwhelmed with unsolicited calls and emails - how would conduct triage or priority rank who gets a call back. Peak behind the scenes to see what top recruiters do to manage their email/phone call flow with candidates.

80 percent or more of great opportunities in job search comes from networking and referrals. However, most executives and managers do a terrible job of driving referrals from their network. Explore some of the core reasons behind networking failure.

I published this article on the LinkedIn Publishing Platform a few weeks ago about the problem introverts have in being interviewed, and was overwhelmed by the comments. As an introvert, you've got to employ a few different strategies than your extroverted counterparts.

Want To Improve Your Chances Of Getting Called For Interviews? Avoid These Rookie Resume Mistakes!

Barry Deutsch's insight:

One of the greatest mistakes I see as an executive recruiter is a lack of sharing quantifiable results, outcomes, metrics, improvements - all the things you should be proud of achieving. You should be tooting your horn loudly - truthful examples, illustrations, and specifics of your proudest work accomplishments.

Yet even at an executive level, many job seekers use the old-school style of responsibilities and duties to describe their work experience. Even if they list bullet-point examples - they are so generic, superficial, and in the stratosphere - that they are bordering on comical.

Here's what the author said about this "rookie mistake":

"If the recruiter/hiring manager never sees an example of your accomplishments from previous companies, there may not be an interview. You don't have to go overboard, but let your resume speak to your achievements. Perhaps you spearheaded a company initiative that saved your previous employer X amount of dollars. Did you contribute a key idea on an important business proposal?"

Is your resume full of jargon, meaningless buzzwords, and cute sounding phrases - OR is it stuffed with real examples of how you've added value in your various jobs. What did you do to make things better?

Were you a drone and did the absolute minimum necessary to get by - or were you action-oriented and have proven examples, illustrations, and specific stories about your impact?

Hiring managers are NOT interested in reading about your duties and responsibilities. They want to know you'll have a positive impact. They look for bullet-point examples of your impact.

Perhaps, it's time to shift your resume from a boring, mundane regurgitation of your duties and responsibilities into something a little more action oriented.

6 ways to ruin your career - Get Career Advice from the experts at CareerBuilder.com (Mistakes will be made during your job search and even your career. It happens.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

I'm not sure any of these are career ruining mistakes. However, I will not that for the 30 years of conducting executive search and the over 1000 assignments I've worked on in that time period, showing up late to an interview is the equivalent of starting off with a bad impression.

The reality is that in 99% of the cases, you just didn't leave enough time to take into account problems with finding the location, traffic, and parking. No excuse or explanation can overcome the fact that you are late.

It would take a herculean effort to overcome this initial bad impression. I suggest to candidates to aim to be at interviews 30-60 minutes early. What's the worst thing that might happen - you'll have to find a coffee shop to cool your heels for an hour before the interview - much better the alternative.

What 80% Of Employers Do Before Inviting You For An InterviewHuffington Post... this -- you aren't invited in for an interview.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

The article says 80% of employers Google your name - in my workshop "You're NOT the Person I Hired", the feedback I get is close to 100%.

When was the last time you looked yourself up on-line? Are you managing what other people see about you? This public arena of Twitter posts, rants, pictures, LinkedIn Profiles, comments on blogs and Youtube videos all get indexed and is available to hiring managers, recruiters, and hr professionals.

Not only is this important for those seeking a job right now - it's an critical element of managing your entire career. If you've not done this, go on-line right now and start making a list of all the negative items you need to manage, and which items could positively boost your on-line reputation.

Today, we continue debunking several myths about finding an executive job. Learn how we can help catapult your job search.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

I like this format of job search myths. One of my favorite is the one mentioned about networking:

Job Search Myth #9

“Networking is HARD and it is a waste of time.”

This is one of the most common, but most untrue myths about finding an executive position. Networking can be extremely effective if you go about it the right way.

Your number one strategy for finding a great opportunity should be networking. It's the only way to tap into the hidden job market - which represents 80% or more of all open jobs.

Want to play the lottery - ignore networking and only answer job ads on job boards. Your chance of landing a great opportunity is completely random and based on hope and luck.

If I look back in my career over the last 30 years as an executive recruiter and over 1,000 executive searches - the candidate who got the job in 995 of those projects was a 2nd - 3rd - 4th degree referral that came through networking.

For those who are scared of networking, particularly the other half of the population made up of introverts - it's actually quite easy and safe if you approach it properly. And the explosion of social media has made it much easier since now you don't face the same level of rejection.

Do you have a specific networking written plan for your job search. This is the only way you'll cut the time in half that it's taking your peers to find a job.

Oh sure, networking is still a very core and crucial thing you need to be aware of and working on, but networking is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to finding a job. ...

Barry Deutsch's insight:

I've been an executive recruiter for almost 30 years. One of my rants is that the vast majority of candidates are unprepared for interviews. They just walk in and "wing it" - hoping their resume speaks for itself.

What a joke!

In every debrief I've done with a hiring manager, the major issue of why candidates don't get asked back fall into the category of:

They were unprepared.

They didn't have any questions

They had not done any research

They didn't even have a firm grasp on what we do

They spent no prep time researching our company

You work so hard to get an interview in a tough job market and then blow it because you couldn't bring yourself to spend a few hours research the company, hiring manager, and role?

Shame on you - you didn't deserve to have a chance for this role.

STOP winging interviews and start preparing - the alternative is to base your job search on luck and hope.

The hiring manager is going to ask herself whether or not she can work with you, eight hours a day, five days a week, without jumping off the top of the office building. ... His newsletter provides free, exclusive training videos.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

Although this article is aimed at those coming out of college or early in their careers, the points made are just as valid for 45 year old CEOs making over $250K.

One of the key points is about likeability. Most studies of hiring and interviewing show that over 80% of the reason people get hired has to do with likeability, rapport, and chemistry in the interview. Forget about skills, competencies, accomplishments, and achievements.

If the hiring manager likes you, then your chances of getting an offer go up dramatically in spite of your inability to actually do the job.

Do I approve of this tribal approach to hiring by most hiring managers. Absolutely NOT. It's one of the major causes of hiring mistakes.

However, given the fact that over 90% of hiring managers base their decisions to hire on likeability, rapport, and chemistry - perhaps you should be thinking about more effective relationship building in interviews vs. "letting your experience speak for itself".

The Biggest Interview Mistakes of 2013U.S. News & World Report (blog)Too many hiring managers have seen candidates who have no clue what the company does. Do you think that impresses them?

Barry Deutsch's insight:

Some important tips to remember on interviewing. I'm astounded the mistakes that get made by candidates - regardless of experience. I see the same mistakes with senior executives at the $250k level and entry level candidates straight out of college.

The question that keeps haunting me is why do intelligent candidates keep making these stupid interview mistakes over and over - wondering why they never get asked back for another interview round?

Dallas Morning NewsOlder workers face being left behind in today's job marketDallas Morning News“It's been very difficult,” said Humphreys, 61, a former training program manager at Collin College. “I don't ...

Barry Deutsch's insight:

Excellent points about the issues related to perceived age discrimination. After 30 years in executive search, I see this age discrimination occasionally. I actually think the trend - at least among my clients - is swinging back toward more experienced workers - given the talent shortage and frustration over some of the younger generational issues. The only other issue I find that sometimes causes employers to not consider a more experienced person is that the compensation expectations for someone with 27 years of experience is very different from someone with 15. Even though employers might wish they could attract the 27 years of experience person, they simply cannot afford that individual.

I am going to take an opposite viewpoint from the focus of this article that older workers are being discriminated due to their age. My personal experience is that older workers have weaker job search skills than younger workers. The landscape for finding a job has shifted dramatically over the last decade or two. Many workers with strong experience are still using the same job search techniques they used 2 decades ago when they found their last job - these no longer work effectively.

Most of the individuals whom I talk with in my job search coaching practice who have been unemployed 6 months, a year, or even 18 months, upon a detailed examination of their job search strategies, it's apparent they are conducting an ineffective job search.

According to Workfolio, 56% of all hiring managers are more impressed by a candidate’s personal website than any other personal branding tool—however, only 7% of job seekers actually have a personal website.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

First, I don't like the idea of a personal website for job search. LinkedIn provides everything a job seeker could possibly want to build a personal brand page for themself - and it's going to be MORE discoverable to hiring managers, hr professionals, and recruiters than any personalized website.

Secondly, since LinkedIn is the de facto gold standard for recruiting and finding candidates - shouldn't you focus your job search personal branding efforts their instead of screwing around with a personal website.

Third, employers are NOT more or less impressed with candidates who have a personal website. The vast majority of hiring managers look at Google and LinkedIn, and maybe your facebook profile pictures. Nothing else. I don't see it changing much in the next 3-5 years.

Finally - focusing on a tool like LinkedIn for personal branding allows you to merge not only your personal branding efforts, but your networking tactics at the same time without duplicating effort across multiple platforms.

Hard for me to believe the stats in this article when our research of over 10,000 executive job seekers in the last 4 years during the job market recession shows that less than 1% have an effective LinkedIn profile that would be attractive to hiring managers, hr professionals, and recruiters. It's actually embarrassing how little effort most executive job seekers put into personal branding on their LinkedIn Profile beyond regurgitating their resume.

Why do executives conducting a job search make the same mistakes that entry level students make coming off their college campuses?

Is it that they are lazy? Do they fail to research what are proper techniques and best practices for conducting a job search? Is there an arrogance that "my resume should speak for itself?"

I'm not sure what the real issue is why someone with 20 plus years of business experience would make the same job search, resume, and interviewing mistakes that entry level college students make.

Here's what I've observed:

The vast majority of executives have NO clue how to conduct an effective executive job search. They have so much pride and arrogance, they fail to read, research, seek advice, use experts, find a job coach - and do all the things necessary to find a job in half the time it typically takes at a senior executive level.

Here are five red flags that most great hiring managers will not miss and will have a hard time getting past.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

Ryan Caldbeck, in this article talks about 5 key items that could cause you to be rejected. I'll zero in on what I hear as an executive recruiter is the most common hiring manager rejection issue: Not asking questions - you're a Dud!

Here's what Ryan had to say:

"4. No questions. I want candidates who are curious about the team, the role, our strategy and what they can expect to be doing on day one, in six months and in a year. I also want team members that are passionate about what we’re doing -- and excited to learn more."

Do you have so many questions about the role, company, industry, opportunity, expectations, projects, competitors - that you couldn't begin to get through all your questions.

OR do you do what most candidates do - they wing it and hope the couple of questions that pop in their minds at the last second will be adequate. Then they wonder why they never get asked back.

Three top tricks of successful job seekers The Globe and Mail In a decade of recruiting for countless sales and marketing jobs spanning numerous industries and locations, there is a reliable stable of tricks I've seen job seekers use to put...

Barry Deutsch's insight:

I've been an executive recruiter for 30 years. I am still shocked that executive level candidates causally prep for interviews by going to a company's website and doing a superficial Google Search. Then they show up, wing it, and wonder why they were never asked back.

The author of this article calls them tricks - I call not doing it: Stupidity! Here's what the author of the article had to say about doing research:

"Set yourself apart by digging into as much recent history of the company as you can find (such as recent earnings reports for public firms, press releases and social media profiles, articles in the media about the company and the industry)."

Are you willing to blow it by not spending a few minutes setting yourself apart from your research? You would never wing it or do it superficially for a project at work - why would you do it on an important job interview.

This is the NUMBER ONE complaint I hear back from hiring managers, executives, and CEOs about their interviews with you.

What's the Holdup with Hiring?Human Resource Executive Onlinebased job and career site Glassdoor found the average interview process lasting 23 days in 2013, compared to 12 days in 2009. The poll – which, Glassdoor ...

Barry Deutsch's insight:

The article paints the longer time period it takes employers to make a decision as a negative. I look at it as a positive. I understand some employers might lose a candidate occasionally due to the fact they are at a more advanced stage with another company.

The slower and more thoughtful approach to hiring is both a benefit to hiring managers and to candidates. The more in-depth, rigorous, and analytical process helps both parties to do their due diligence.

I know this can be very frustrating to job search candidates - especially when the company doesn't communicate their interview plan and next steps.

For you, the only thing you want is to get a job. For the hiring manager, making the hire is a priority competing with many others at the same time. So what is going on in the hiring manager’s mind?

Barry Deutsch's insight:

This article lays out a number of articulate, logical, and rational reasons why you might not get hired. However, when you boil it all down, the author in the very last sentence summarizes the number one reason that might cause you to FAIL in the interview - in spite of the fact you're perfect for the job.

Here's what he says at the end:

"The reason that interviewing skills are vital to acquire is simply that hiring managers make their decisions based on how well you interview and not on your job skills."

Most studies of interviewing effectiveness and accuracy show that the primary reason people get hired is based on their interviewing presentation and how they establish rapport, chemistry, and likability. It has nothing to do with past performance, skills, knowledge, or future capability.

Our research over 1000 search assignments, 250000 candidate interviews, and 25000 CEOs/Presidents/Senior Execs that have seen our hiring workshop -- is that the vast majority of managers and executives in companies have no clue what they are doing when it comes to hiring. They are not bad individuals - they've just never been trained how to hire. So they allow their personal perceptions, experiences, bias, and emotions to dictate their hiring decision making.

Louise Kursmark in her blog post talks about the importance of LinkedIn as a tool in your job search. She draws a separation between a traditional resume and your LInkedIn Profile.

Most job search candidates use the LinkedIn Profile as a regurgitation of their resume. That's wrong.

Your LinkedIn Profile is a multi-media presentation of your capabilities and impact. Video, Audio, Links, and content that gives real depth to your capabilities vs. the old-school style resume of duties and responsibilities.

Break the traditional and tribal mode of resume writing when using LinkedIn. Be bold, creative, expansive, and leverage the multimedia capability for audio, messaging, video, web links, and creativity.

Drive potential hiring managers to you vs. hoping they find your paper resume in a stack of hundreds of resumes which all read the same.

ForbesJob-Hunt Like an ExecutiveForbesGive up on that mewly job-search process, and reach your hiring-managers-in-pain directly.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

Liz Ryan writes an interesting piece where she suggests you might want to think like an executive in your job search and focus your communication - leading up to getting the interview and during the interview - on the pain points your potential boss is experiencing.

One of the common suggestions I start with in my job search coaching is explaining how you MUST in the first 5 minutes of the interview get the question on the table:

"How will you measure my success over the next year?"

"A year from now what will I have achieved in this role for you to feel you made the right hiring decision?"

"What are the top 3 things I need to solve in this role for you to feel you made the right decision in hiring me?"

NOT getting at a hiring manager's pain points means you will become a victim of box-checking against the job description - an assessment no one can pass.

Why not turn the whole process around by putting the hiring manager into a consultative discussion mode instead of a box-checking mode?

Blogging might be the edge you need to stand out in many job categories. Here are seven reasons why.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

One of the key elements of the executive job search consulting I do with executives in transition is writing a blog for personal branding. Good slideshare program talking about why job seekers should blog.

Here's how to find out about all the openings that aren't even advertised.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

If 80 percent or more of job opportunities are "hidden" - meaning NEVER advertised, is 80% of your opportunities coming from this source and 20% off job boards?

OR like most candidates, are the numbers reversed and you're "settling" to spend the bulk of your time answering ads on job boards because it's easier. it doesn't require you to network, it doesn't take as much effort.

Here's a little experiment: take the last 3 months in your job search:

List every job to which you've sent a resume

Identify in the next column where the source of the job came from (hidden: networking meeting, networking source, former co-worker, friend/neighbor), recruiters, and job boards.

Where is your most active source of job opportunities? If you said job boards - then your job search is one massive FAIL!

Focusing on the hidden job market will cut your job search time in at least half. It's more likely you'll get to first base - a phone interview - than you would trying to stand out in 400 resume responses to a job board ad.

The real question is whether you're willing to be "mentally tough" in your job search to do the uncomfortable things your peer are unwilling to do - go after hidden jobs through networking and referrals.

Would you rather complete your job search in 90 days from now - or 18 months?

Are you searching for a new job? Beware! One of our trusted career experts shares seven common mistakes job seekers make on the job hunt.

Barry Deutsch's insight:

These are all excellent issues related to job search and interviewing mistakes. Our experience in coaching managerial and executive job search candidates is that the greatest mistake is not conducting an effective job search. This is different from the aimless job search category.

NOT conducting an effective job search of leveraging networking on-line and off-line, the communication strategy, a targeting campaign of putting on a "full court press" for a particular company or role, and not having the "right" tools/documents to advance your candidacy beyond the traditional resume.

FAILURE to conduct an effective job search means you never get to the table to be considered - it's step on of finding a great job since the vast majority of great jobs are never advertised - their filled through personal networks.

Since most candidates conduct an ineffective job search - all they see are the 20 percent of jobs that companies are advertising which frequently fall into the boring, mundane, and average category. In addition, it's very difficult to advance yourself through responding to ads, when over 300 other equally qualified candidates submit their resumes.

Using job postings as the core element of your job search is a terrible approach to finding a job since it's primarily based on luck and hope.

Sharing your scoops to your social media accounts is a must to distribute your curated content. Not only will it drive traffic and leads through your content, but it will help show your expertise with your followers.

Integrating your curated content to your website or blog will allow you to increase your website visitors’ engagement, boost SEO and acquire new visitors. By redirecting your social media traffic to your website, Scoop.it will also help you generate more qualified traffic and leads from your curation work.

Distributing your curated content through a newsletter is a great way to nurture and engage your email subscribers will developing your traffic and visibility.
Creating engaging newsletters with your curated content is really easy.